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BBC Global iPlayer iPad app now available

As mentioned last month, the BBC has launched a version of its iPlayer iPad app for viewers who live outside the UK.

As mentioned last month, the BBC has launched a version of its iPlayer iPad app for viewers who live outside the UK.

Global iPlayer is available now for Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, with Australia, Canada and the USA following later this year.

The Global iPlayer app doesn’t work in quite the same way as the UK version. The seven-day catch-up service for already broadcast programmes is much more limited, but the amount of archival content is much more extensive.

The BBC is using the app more as a showcase for its output, which is why programmes like Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses are available — programmes that can’t be watched using the UK version of the app, incidentally.

The Global iPlayer app also differs from the UK version by allowing programmes to be downloaded to watch offline. UK iPlayer app users only have the option to stream content over an internet connection, which means programmes can’t be stacked up to watch when on holiday abroad, for example.

The BBC Global iPlayer app is free to download using iTunes, but costs €6.99 a month or €49.99 a year to use. The app isn’t available in the UK, remember, but here’s a link below to the Ireland iTunes page where you can read a bit more about it.